1st Trebitsch Memorial – Vienna 1907

Mieses' Greatest Tournament Victory – 1st Place with 10/13

The Greatest Triumph

The first Trebitsch Memorial marks the pinnacle of Mieses' tournament career. With 10 points from 13 games, the 41-year-old Mieses outpaced a field of established masters and rising young players. His next major international tournament victory did not come until Liverpool 1923.

The Wiener Schachzeitung reports that Maróczy and Schlechter were considered the hot favourites. Mieses' triumph came as a genuine surprise – he was not among the pre-tournament picks but finished ahead of both established favourites.

Leopold Trebitsch (1842–1906) was a wealthy Viennese silk manufacturer and chess patron. After his death in December 1906, one month before the first event, his family endowed the Vienna Chess Club with 100,000 kronen for a tournament series in his name. Between 1907 and 1938, a total of 20 Trebitsch Memorial tournaments were held; the series came to an end with the Anschluss.

Mieses played the Danish Gambit as White, and the Scandinavian and Tarrasch Defences as Black – always seeking tactical imbalances rather than positional manoeuvring. His Chessmetrics performance rating for this tournament reached 2740.

Writing in the Neue Freie Presse on 28 January 1907, Adolf Zinkl summed up Mieses' previous sixteen years: he had fought "most unevenly," rarely won high prizes, "but always distinguished himself through elegant attacking play, produced the most brilliancies and counted among the most feared masters."

Final Standings

Some older sources incorrectly credit Tartakower with only 8 points. According to the Wiener Schachzeitung (May–June 1907, pp. 183–184), Tartakower won his game against Martinolich. The correct score is 8½ points.

The Field

Vienna 1907 brought together two generations of chess mastery. On one side stood the established classical masters Schlechter and Maróczy; on the other, a new "Sturm und Drang" generation. Duras (24), Spielmann (23), Vidmar and the 19-year-old Tartakower were seen as the future of the game. For Tartakower it was his international debut.

Schlechter and Maróczy – two of the established grandmasters Tartakower called the "grand panjandrums" – were outpaced by the younger generation. That the outsider Mieses led the field surprised the chess world.

Mieses' Result

Note: Chessmetrics uses its own rating scale; its figures are not directly comparable with modern Elo ratings.

Decision on the Final Day

The outcome remained open until the last round: "Mieses or Duras," wrote the Wiener Schachzeitung. On the final day, Mieses defeated "even the Viennese champion Schlechter", bringing his total to 10 points. Duras, meanwhile, could only draw against the 61-year-old veteran Berger. The British Chess Magazine congratulated Mieses warmly, noting it was the first time he had won a tournament of such importance.

The Farewell Banquet (27 January 1907)

The day after the final round, the Vienna Chess Club hosted a farewell banquet. Baron Albert von Rothschild, honorary president of the club, toasted the two top finishers. Mieses responded on behalf of all the masters with "a longer, witty speech" – one of the rare glimpses of his personality beyond the board. Vice-president Dr Franz Liharzik announced plans for a major international tournament in 1908 to mark the Emperor's jubilee.

The brilliancy prizes (donated by Baron Albert von Rothschild: 150 and 100 kronen) went to Duras (game against Spielmann) and Schlechter (game against Maróczy). Mieses – the tournament winner, renowned for his attacking play – did not receive one. Jury: Fähndrich, Fleissig, Marco.

Sources

• (Neue) Wiener Schachzeitung, vol. 1907, No. 1/2, pp. 3–15 (tournament report, player portraits, farewell banquet, crosstable, pairings and results)
• Wiener Schachzeitung, May–June 1907, pp. 183–184 (final standings, Tartakower correction)
• Neue Freie Presse, 28 January 1907 (Zinkl portrait)
• British Chess Magazine, March 1907, pp. 118–119 (congratulations, Duras undefeated)
• Gillam, A.J. (ed.): Vienna 1907. Nottingham, 1994. 81 games
• Lachaga, José: 20 Trebitsch-Gedenkturniere Wien 1907–1938. Buenos Aires, 1968
• Winter, Edward: Chess Notes, C.N. 127/566 (Tartakower correction)
• Chessmetrics: tournament performance Vienna 1907; rating list August 1907